Safety devices on weapons such as pistols and rifles are well known. Unfortunately, such safety devices, specifically those which are actuated by the user of the weapon, have often proven themselves to be more unsafe than safe. The person handling the weapon sometimes believes the safety device to have disabled the weapon only to find later that their recollection is erroneous resulting in serious injury. Another serious defect of such safety devices is the delay caused to a person having possession of a weapon, such as a police officer, who is under attack, and who is delayed in firing the weapon due to the safety being in the on position and the weapon disabled. There is also the fear on the part of one armed with a weapon, again most particularly a police officer, that it will be seized by intent on harming them and their own very weapon used against them.
This invention provides a safety device that is actuated by a ferromagnetic disk on the hand of the operator and is automatic when the operator takes the weapon in hand to be used. When not in the operator's hand or in a hand lacking the ferromagnetic disk, the weapon cannot fire and when seized by someone else, the safety device will not release since the adverse party grabbing the weapon will not have the ferromagnetic disk on their hand and will also not know exactly where to place the ferromagnetic disk, if available.
Other equipment besides weapons where unauthorized and improper operation can result in injury can also use such a safety device.
Previously, the use of magnetism to operate a safety device for a weapon has been taught but in a manner distinctive of that claimed by this invention. Two patents by Joseph E. Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 4,110,928 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,014 use magnetism to deflect a member which otherwise blocks operation of the weapon.